GHOST SHIPS

GHOST SHIPS

I have always been fascinated by old ships. The ones laid up in harbour & left to rot. From my time at sea, I know that a ship is just not a lump of metal, she is a living breathing thing & seeing these once proud ships lying there waiting patiently for their fate always makes me linger.

IWO JIMA class Amphibious Assault Ship (USS Tripoli)



Here is a great site by Amy heiden Click here for site She has photographed many of the U.S. Ghost ships & writes very eloquently about what it is like to be onboard one.....

Her Flickr site is fasinating & holds many fantastic images link



The "Mothball" Fleet [also known as the National Defence Reserve Fleet] is a collection of decommissioned military ships (cargo ships, tankers, Victory ships, missile cruisers, barges and tugboats) sitting in Northern California's Suisun Bay. Very few of these ships are reserve ready (thought many of them were years ago). Most have been decaying here for decades and await scrapping.

Not quite ghost ships but near enough. Ships laid up due to the down turn in the Global economy.







I do not know the name of her.

If anyone has any information, please post it here.

USS Gage leaves James River Reserve Fleet

The USS Gage departed the James River Reserve Fleet Thursday, headed to Esco Marine, Inc., in Brownsville, Texas, for recycling. According to the Department of the Navy's Naval Historical Center, the attack transport USS Gage was commissioned in November, 1944. During World War II, the Gage participated in the initial assault on Okinawa in April, 1945, landing men and supplies for five days despite nearly continuous alerts of Japanese suicide attacks. She was decommissioned in Norfolk in February, 1947, and transferred to the Maritime Administration Reserve Fleet in September, 1958. Esco Marine, Inc. was awarded a contract to recycle the Gage on July 3rd.

The Gage is the 81st ship to leave the James River Reserve Fleet since January 1, 2001.